Pentecost: The Promise Fulfilled

Intro

- Illustration- Eliana gearing up to go into the ocean

o she just wanted to get in and swim, but we had to make sure she had all she needed- life jacket so she wouldn’t drown, a mask so she could see where she was going, a snorkel so she could breathe

o if we were to through her in before she was equipped, it would be an impossible task, and we would be terrible parents

o but with the proper gear, she was well equipped to do what she loved

- As a church, we have an incredibly fulfilling yet daunting task ahead of us- a seemingly impossible task

o To take the Gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth

o But we cannot do it without the proper equipment

- Several weeks ago, we left the disciples in the upper room, awaiting the arrival of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised before he left them

o They knew they had to be properly equipped for the task ahead

o As followers of Jesus today, we have that same task ahead of us, but we also have the same power that was given to the disciples in the passage we are going to look at today

- Acts 2 is Acts 2- one of the most studied passages in the Bible- In fact, entire denominations of Christianity have been born from this chapter

o But it has also caused great division in the church- so my prayer this morning is that the

- What is Pentecost?

o The Day of Pentecost- annual feast- called the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks because it took place 7 weeks (50 days) after Passover

§ It had also become a time when the Jewish people would observe the giving of the law

o This is the birth of the church

- Jesus has fulfilled his promise to fill his followers with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission of the church; bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth.

- Read Acts 2:1-13

The Coming of the Spirit

A. Jesus’s promise realized

1. Acts 1:8

2. Luke 24:49 And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered,from on high.”

3. Why Pentecost

a. It was a celebration of the feast of harvest

(1) Here we see the beginning of a great harvest

(2) And regarding the law

(a) Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.

(b) Jer. 31:33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

(3) So in these feasts we see God’s plan of redemption

(a) Passover- sacrificial lamb; Feast of the firstfruits- the resurrection; Pentecost- coming of the Spirit

b. This holy day was one of three Jewish feasts that called for the Jews to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem- so there would be people from all over the known world

B. The Spirit came with Power

1. “Suddenly”- they had been anticipating this, but it still took them off guard

a. They did not summon the Spirit- the Spirit moves and works as he wills

2. Audibly and visibly

a. Like a violent rushing Wind

(1) The word for Spirit in both Greek and Hebrew is the same word for wind or breath- to blow or to breath

(2) The power of wind is incredible- Florida

(3) Can you imagine the scene? It was so unusual that it causes a large crowd to gather around the disciples

b. Fire

(1) Like tongues of fire- this is the best way they could describe it, but it was clearly and visibly a supernatural work of God

- Transition- so we see that Jesus was faithful to his promise, as he always is, and the Spirit of God came in a spectacular display of God’s power… the disciples had long anticipated this, but what did it mean, and what does it mean for us today?

God Equips Us for Our Mission

A. Filled with the Spirit (v. 4a)

1. Overwhelmed with the majesty and greatness of God, so much so that it overflowed from them and manifested itself to those around

2. Baptism of the Holy Spirit ( Acts 1:5)

a. Luke 3:16- John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

b. Baptism (1:5)- to submerge, to but also means figuratively to identify with, to be placed into-

(1) 1 Cor. 12:12-13 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free

(2) This happened for the disciples that day and for us in the moment we trust in Jesus as our savior

(a) We see this illustrated in water baptism- a physical expression of a spiritual reality

(b) Rom. 6:3-4 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.

(c) Gal. 3:27-28 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.

(3) So the purpose of being baptized in the Spirit is to bring unity, not division between regular Christians and a spiritual elite within the church

(4) All those who profess Christ as their savior have experienced this baptism of the Spirit

3. Filled with the Spirit

a. Unlike baptism of the Spirit, this filling of the Spirit is something we will see all throughout Acts and the continually as we see the church grow

b. It carries the idea of being controlled by

(1) Eph. 5:18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit

(2) Galatians- Fruits of the Spirit- walking in the Spirit as opposed to being controlled by our fleshly desires

(3) The Spirit does not come and go- The Spirit is with us always,

(a) John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever.

(4) but the question is, are we walking in him or are we pursuing our own sinful nature?

(a) Gal. 5:16 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.

(5) When we are walking in him, He fills us, empowers us, and guides us.

4. Distinguishing the two- baptism and filling

a. Wiersbe- "The baptism of the Spirit means that I belong to His body; the fullness of the Spirit means that my body belongs to Him. The baptism is final; the fullness is repeated as we trust God for new power to witness. The baptism involves all other believers, for it makes us one in the body of Christ (Eph. 4:1–6); while the fullness is personal and individual. These are two distinct experiences and they must not be confused."

b. A church that doesn't have the Holy Spirit isn't a true church, and a church that is not continually filled with the Spirit is an ineffective church

B. Speaking in different tongues (v.4)

1. What were these tongues?

a. The word means languages- but are these human languages that can be understood or is it ecstatic speech that requires special interpretation?

b. The phrase used is “different tongues”- Different than what? All other human languages (i.e. ecstatic, unintelligible speech) or different than their native language

c. It is clear that this is talking about different than their native language.

(1) V. 7-8 aren't they Galileans? Why are they speaking our languages?

(2) V.6 "in their own languages" in grammatically connected to speaking, not hearing

2. Why were they needed?- what is their purpose, God does not do things without purpose

a. Let’s look at the content of their message-

(1) declaring the magnificent acts of God- praising God- not the gospel- why?

(2) The Jews that had gathered were devout- remembering the works of God was common practice for Jews since the Old Testament-

(3) So when they heard it, a majority could not say, this is demonic- they knew that these men were speaking truth

b. Ultimately this prepared the way for Peter to get up and proclaim the gospel

c. You see, the need at that moment was for the people witnessing this event to understand that this message was for them- “to the Jew first”

(1) And this is what we see throughout the history of the Church- The Spirit overcomes barriers so that the gospel can spread to the ends of the earth

(2) We see here that the working of the Spirit brings clarity, not confusion

Unity and Division

A. The Spirit brings Unity

1. the primary purpose of this event was not to lift up the disciples, it was not to set a new level of spiritual achievement, it was for the advance of the Gospel to the ends of the earth

a. In fact, this whole experience was not primarily an individual experience

(1) Yes, this is a personal experience, but it is not its end purpose. It connects us to the greater body of Christ where we are to be together pursuing his mission

b. It was about God's Spirit empowering God's church to accomplish God's mission

B. God has given us his Spirit to empower us to fulfill the mission of his church

1. The Spirit convicts, illuminates…

C. Whenever the Spirit is working, we can expect division

1. The truth of the gospel calls people to a decision. They will either accept or reject the message

2. They must be drunk on new wine- glucos- new or sweet- so they would have drunk more of it

3. John Stott- "Nor, we must add, did the believers’ experience of the Spirit’s fullness seem to them or look to others like intoxication, because they had lost control of their normal mental and physical functions. No, the fruit of the Spirit is ‘self-control’, not the loss of it."

a. I believe this is a key point to remember as we look for the Spirit’s working- it will always be characterized as self-controlled- not chaos and disorder

4. Some will see our excitement and praise as odd behavior

a. when truth is proclaimed, some will accept it and others will reject it- our job is simply to proclaim it

Conclusion

- We have been given an overwhelming task as a church, but we are not without the power to accomplish it!

- What does the church need to accomplish this mission? Money, building, programs, social media presence? We really don't see any of this in the book of Acts, yet the church explodes and thousands are saved

- We don't pray for another Pentecost- this was a one time fulfillment of Jesus's promise that he would send the Spirit

o The Spirit is active in this world today and active in the lives of every believer at the moment of their salvation

o When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in us and empowers us for his work

So What?

- Jesus promised his disciples that he would send a comforter. Have you received his gift of the Spirit?

- Are you praying for the Spirit to be at work in your life and in the church?

- How do you respond when you see the Spirit working? Unity or division?